Naomi, Charlotte Flair and Real Winners and Losers of WWE Evolution 2025 Match Card
For the first time since 2018, WWE presented Evolution, a women's wrestling premium live event featuring the best and brightest of today, mixed with some of the greatest and most influential competitors of years past.
Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase, becoming world champion for the third time in her Hall of Fame career, stunning audiences and ending the best WWE show of the year with an emphatic exclamation point.
Who joined her as the big winners of the night and who came out on the other side of the argument?
Find out in this recap of Sunday's event.
Winners: Lyra Valkyria, Bayley, and Becky Lynch
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With the best build of any match on the card come great expectations and in the night's opening contest, women's intercontinental champion Becky Lynch and challengers Lyra Valkyria and Bayley exceeded even the loftiest of them.
A red-hot match that had the crowd biting on every counter, reversal, near-fall, and pinfall breakup, it was a legitimate contender for the best women's match of the year and a reminder that a strong story and great workers can make magic.
Bayley and Valkyria's determination to keep each other from winning ultimately proved their downfall and should propel their budding rivalry forward. A program centered on them and their deteriorating friendship should make for a great non-title feud on Monday nights.
As for Lynch, where does that leave her? Time will tell but there is a wealth of talent for her to work with on the flagship show, all of whom will benefit from working with one of the biggest stars of this generation.
Winner: Jacy Jayne
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There were a lot of questions about Jacy Jayne defeated Stephanie Vaquer for the NXT Women's Championship and how long she would actually hold onto the title. Most assumed she would be a transitional champion, destined to drop the gold to Jordynne Grace or Blake Monroe in short order.
Not only has she not, but she is rapidly developing into a great, self-centered champion who alienates her teammates with her me-first attitude, irritates fans by beating their favorites, and builds her resume with victories along the way.
With Grace and Monroe destined to feud following the latter's shocking betrayal of her "friend," the question becomes who challenges Jayne moving forward. Based on the mounting tension between her and Fatal Influence teammate Fallon Henley, do not be surprised if it is the former NXT North American champion who steps up to the plate.
If not her, could Sol Ruca look to add a third title to her collection or might Jaida Parker or Lola Vice step up and finally capture the gold that has eluded them?
Either way, Jayne has made the most with the opportunity presented to her, and Sunday's fantastic match, a victory over Grace, was further proof of it.
Loser: Jade Cargill
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By no means is this an indictment against Cargill, who had her best singles performance Sunday night in Atlanta as part of Evolution.
She was excellent, absorbed a ton of punishment, and fought through it to pick up a hard-fought victory in a No Holds Barred match over Naomi, with Bianca Belair as the special guest referee.
Instead, she is a loser solely because of how dynamic and interesting Naomi is right now.
She is one of the best characters in the entire company, has momentum on her side, lives the gimmick, and brings the intensity and aggression when needed. She was equally as great here, leaping off the screen and presenting like a star just waiting for that last push in the form of a Money in the Bank cash-in to really propel her to the next level.
More on that in a moment.
Jade is a star who, if all goes according to plan, will be the face of the women's division for years to come. For now, it is nearly impossible not to be more intrigued by her opponent, even in defeat.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
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Earlier this year, Charlotte Flair's return to WWE was dampened by the boos of an audience that wanted nothing to do with her winning another world title. They rejected her intensely personal story of persistence, strength, and personal sacrifice to come back better than ever, greeting her with jeers instead of the warm welcome befitting a star of her magnitude.
By the time Tiffany Stratton remarked about her third divorce, she was clearly rattled by what had been anything but the triumphant return to WWE she likely expected. Throw in a WrestleMania loss to Stratton, and you have another disappointment.
Fast forward to Evolution, where she and her mismatched partner, Alexa Bliss, challenged for the Women's Tag Team Championship and you have an entirely different situation.
Flair, having fun for the first time in what felt like an eternity, was greeted with a thunderous ovation and chants of "we want Charlotte!"
This, on the heels of a well-received and relatable Player's Tribune article in which she documented the impact, positive and negative, that her recent history has had on her.
The Queen showed out Sunday, as she always had, and the crowd came alive for her. This was an audience showing her appreciation for her contributions to the industry and, more importantly, the evolution of women's wrestling.
It was a well-deserved moment for a revolutionary and someone whose greatness has been somewhat understated in comparison to her peers, for no other reason than the unfounded claims of nepotism.
Winner: Tiffany Stratton
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In a year in which she has passed every test put before her, WWE women's champion Tiffany Stratton passed another Sunday night when she defeated Trish Stratus to retain her title in another match that exceeded expectations.
Her and Stratus tore the house down, earning chants of "this is awesome," culminating with the titleholder delivering her Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the win.
The match was simple, did not reinvent the wheel, and played to Stratton's strengths. There were dramatic near-falls late, and Stratus' ode to her best friend and longtime rival Lita by way of a moonsault attempt, led to the champion capitalizing on the miss and scoring the win.
Much like she did when she showed up strong on the WrestleMania, Stratton again proved that she may have benefited from a significant push that started a year ago, but she has earned the continued faith of the creative team by way of her performances ever since.
Loser: Izzi Dame
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Just 24 hours after a breakout performance against Sol Ruca at NXT's Great American Bash, Izzi Dame probably should have built momentum with an impressive performance in the battle royal for a shot at either the Women's World or WWE Women's Championship at Clash in Paris.
Instead, she was tossed out of the match in short order, the second woman eliminated.
It was an abrupt end to a match in which there was ample opportunity to have Dame arrive at Tuesday's NXT with momentum on her side following two defining performances.
Instead, a strong showing in a key spot Saturday was dampened by an inconsequential appearance on the historic Evolution premium live event.
Winner: Naomi
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In February, Naomi underwent a heel turn amid the revelation that it was she who attacked Jade Cargill the previous fall. Almost immediately, she stole the show, expressing raw, real emotion and bringing an edginess to her character that had long been missing.
Already a future Hall of Famer based on her previous contributions, she reinvented herself into a deranged, disconnected heel who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Others be damned.
Despite a WrestleMania 41 loss to Cargill, she remained over enough with the fans to justify the continuation of her push, culminating at Money in the Bank, with a victory in the namesake match and a guaranteed title opportunity whenever she saw fit.
Sunday night, on the heels of yet another loss to Cargill, she interrupted an instant classic between Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, cashed in her briefcase, and captured the Women's World Championship.
It was an unforgettable moment that took a character that was already over with fans and propelled it to the top of the Raw women's division, where she will have the opportunity to thrive without the obvious connection to Cargill and Bianca Belair hanging overhead.
It also sets her up for a heated rivalry with Ripley and Sky, both of whom are proven babyfaces with strong fan bases who will only help to further elevate her heel persona.
This was a career defining moment for Naomi and one that will only help both her and the Raw women's division for the foreseeable future.
Loser: Iyo Sky
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Iyo Sky lost the Women's World Championship Sunday night in Atlanta, bringing an end to a reign that never had the chance to live up to its potential.
Despite a level of popularity that she had never seen, and an in-ring run second to none, Sky's championship run consisted of a single defense at WrestleMania 41, where she defeated Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair in a Match of the Year candidate.
From that point on, she appeared on television in promo segments, competed in a non-title match against Stephanie Vaquer, and worked tag team matches along the way, but hers was not a reign defined by championship defenses.
In just her second defense, she dropped the title to Naomi following a shocking Money in the Bank cash-in that will have long-reaching consequences, likely involving the Genius of the Sky.
While that is a positive, one cannot help but feel as though the utilization of Sky while she was champion was underwhelming and that WWE Creative missed the chance to craft a truly great reign that saw her develop into a fighting champion not unlike Bret Hart was during his run as WWE champion in the 1990s.
Instead, she will hope to have another shot at standing atop the women's division, either on Raw or SmackDown, further cementing her legacy as one of the best of her generation.
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